The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-25
LIGHT ON MYSTERY.
A WAR CORRESPONDENT APPARENT
LY WOUNDED UNTO DEATH.

How He Felt and What He Thought
While Falling Tito the Unknown
Hereafter''-A Curious Experience-An
Error Corrected.
had an experience which may throw
some light on the mystery which gathers
about the dying. An expedition LED by
Sweeny. the one armed regular officer,
and consisting of cavalry, infantry ana
artillery, was sent out to destroy Con
federate depot of clothing and provisions.
The cavalry was put well in advance as
we neared the point, and finally, when
within striking distance, charge was
ordered into the town. l went IN with
the troopers and suddenly found myse1
in the midst Of hot contest, IN when
rebel shotguns and rifles were playing q
prominent part Near the center of the
place was a brick court house, into which
after a little time 1 entered, partly be-
cause the shooting was very careless, a
score of men and horses in my immediate
vicinity being hit and q stampede beng
inaugurated by frantic animals, ana
partly because it seemed that could get
q better view of the contest from the roof
of the building
assembled to the second floor and en-
tered a large square room in which were
heaped large quantity of clothing. There
was table at which were seated two men
in Federal uniform, who were engaged IN
examining some papers.
Ny wearing apparel was much dllapl-
dated and 1 concluded to make an eX-
change. l selected a pair of trousers from
the pile and a pair of saddle bags, and
then proceeded to make change OF gar
ments l had the new trousers partly on
when the building suddenly shivered as If
struck by an earthquake; there was sim
ultaneously deafening explosion, rat
Ting of shattered glass, while the room
became filled with flying particles OF
brick and mortar.
ga shell, by -i'' roared one of the
men, as he tipped over backward, over
turning the table, then scrambled to his
feet and ran toward the stairway, fol-
lowed by his companion. l chung to the
saddle bags and the half adjusted gar
ments and FASTENED after them as fast as
my semi bandaged condition would per-
NIT.
KNOCKED sENsELEsS.
reached the head OF the staircase IN
time to see the others descending in great
leaps to the bottom and then disappear
through the door. I had descended two
or three steps when there came another
explosion which seemed to be directly
at the back of my head Broad belts of
vivid crimson filed my line of vision, and
then lost consciousness. A little later
recovered my mental condition and found
myself lying at the foot of the stairway
A pool of blood lay about my head and
saturated my clothing A frightful weak
ness possessed me, and there was savage
pain in the back of my head. With i'm
mense exertiOn 1 struggled to my feet,
after falling two or three times, and then
kept myself upright by leaning against
the janb of the doorway.
1t seemed to me that / was dying. A
mortal languor possessed me, and l felt
that in moment or two should drop. to
the floor dead. I cannot truthfully state
that at this supreme moment all my past
life flashed before me, as is recorded in so
many excellent books concerning death
bad scenes. Nothing of this kind &C
CURED. had no particular consciousness
apart from the langdOr, the pain and a
curious sinking feeling about the heart. l
recall what appears to have been a dim
species of wonder as to what those at home
would think when they heard OF my death.
None of the good nor bad deeds of my life
passed before me in that moment The
space about me grew into a blueness, and
then gradually changed into dense black.
AS it did so, my strength left me. l sank
to the floor, my last remembrance being
something to the effect that 1 was slowly
dropping into infinite space.
This faint remembrance, these dim sen
sations, this sinking away, 1 thought was
death. Had | actually died / would have
experienced no other feeling.
RECOVERED CONSCIOUSNESS.
When again recovered consciousness
was lying with bandaged head on a
bench in the court house. An hour later
was on a horse and moving on the return
march. I chung all through the occur
renee to the trousers and saddle bags.
After the cavalry had entered the town
word was sent back to a section of artil
lery in the rear, with order to its officer to
hurry up and bring his pieces to bear on
the town. The officer was Lieut.. George
Sokalski, who was quite deaf, and who
understood the order to be to ''1re'' on the
town. He did so, and the court house
being the most conspicuous object, he
selected it for target for shell practice.
The second of his missives exploded just
behind me, and gave me my first expert
ence as to the sensations of death.
/ saw many men die during the war, and
in no case was there anything distressing
in the occurrence. When a man was hit,
and believed the wound to be a deadly
one, he never grew excited nor frantic
over MS cOnuClOn- Inc cOnVlcUlOn seemed
to quiet him; to stun him little; to be
something in the nature of an opiate. [
do not believe there was a single instance
in the entire war in which soldier, know
ing that he was about to die, arranged
any of the beautiful sentiments so fFe-
quently published in some of the news
papers and in a certain class of books.
s'Tel them that / have cheerfully given
my life for my flag and my country is
an absurd invention. No dying man ever
said it, and no dying man ever thought it.
-'sPoliuto" in Chicago Times.